What is Islamic State?

Islamic State – previously known as Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham – is the successor organization to al Qaeda in Iraq, started by Abu Musab Al Zarqawi a few years before the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of the country. AQI pledged allegiance to Osama bin Laden’s al Qaeda in 2004, and its Sunni fighters devoted themselves to attacking American forces and terrorizing the Shiite-led government in Baghdad that took over after Saddam Hussein’s ouster.

What is the group’s goal?

Islamic State and its Iraqi leader, Abu Bakr al Baghdadi, primarily aims to establish a radical Sunni Islamist state in the Levant region of Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Jordan, Cyprus and Southern Turkey.

How did the situation swell out of control?

Violence began in late December when Iraq Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki ordered security forces to disperse an anti-Maliki protest camp in Ramadi that he claimed was an incubator for al Qaeda. Thousands of well-armed Islamist militants rose up in early January in the surrounding province of Anbar and seized Ramadi, the provincial capital, and Fallujah, a restive city less than an hour from Baghdad. Islamic State’s massive, sophisticated weapons arsenal suggested the group had been importing weapons from Syria, one Iraqi Army general said.

What is Iraq doing to stop ISIS's advancement?

Iran has deployed some of its Revolutionary Guard forces to fight the militants and has helped Iraqi troops win back control of most of Tikrit. They are also helping guard Baghdad and the cities of Najaf and Karbala. Separately, the U.S. is helping the Iraqi air force coordinate attacks on Islamist militants in the north of the country by providing surveillance intelligence and target coordinates.